John 17:24

"Father, they are your gift to me." John 17:24

"Jesus' words call me to a new way of looking at the people in my life...They are the father's gift to me. All of them."  -Sister Anne Elizabeth Sweet 

This Gospel and reflection got me thinking about Mother's Day and all of the moms in my life.  Each of these women has made countless silent sacrifices.  They have carried prayers and anxieties in their heart that will go with them to their grave.  Motherhood is seemingly common and ordinary.  It can easily be taken for granted.  But to me, these women are heroic.  They have all shaped me in one way or another through their constant love.  They are indeed God's beautiful gift to me.  I can only hope to be the same to my little ones.

Evelyn: 3 and 4 Months

3 months                                                                                           4 months 

Oh my goodness this is a sweet sweet baby that we have.  Her little personality has really started to come out over the past couple months.  But mostly three words come to mind.

epic baby hair.  

Its nothing short of amazing.  I think Tara described it best when she casually said "there really is just no rhyme or reason to Evelyn's hair."  This is true.  

I love that it is SO easy to get her to smile.  Sometimes I can't even get her to eat because she is too busy flashing her fantastic toothless grin.  She has even let out some little giggles when we tickle her.  It makes my heart swell every time.  She is such a little chatter box too!  Her sweet voice is amazing.

She constantly has eyes on her sister.  She lights up every time she is around, even when Cora is trying to smother her with hugs and kisses. When I bring Evy out in the mornings Cora usually says, "oh, mommy, your baby is so cute."

She spends most of her time on her play mat and is the happiest when she is laying down playing with some sort of toy.  She is working really hard on rolling over and is almost there!

Evelyn Clare, we all adore you and cannot get enough of you and your cheeks.  

Evelyn's Baptism

At first, she wasn't so sure about being baptized.  

But she eventually warmed up to the idea.  

Evelyn joined our Church on April 7, 2013 - Divine Mercy Sunday - at Our Lady of Grace in San Antonio by Fr. Jon Felux.  Her Godparents are Dave and Elizabeth.

It was such a beautiful day that I will never forget.  On the drive to San Antonio, Michael and I talked about what we hope for her in her faith journey.  Michael spoke about how he always hopes that her life is centered around God and that she is strongly rooted in her faith.  My hope is that she will have a sincere and true faith.  Not something that just helps her to "be good" and "follow the rules," but a passionate love that defines her.  

Evelyn has such a strong support system to help her along on this journey.  Her godparents are dedicated to helping us raise her in the faith and leading by example.  We are so proud.  

We had a lovely reception at Joe and Casey's house.  They were so kind to host the celebration for Evy's big day and it was absolutely perfect! 

Easter 2013

My most favorite holiday, and the holiest days of the year. Such a beautiful time in our faith.  

We went to San Antonio on Good Friday.  The service at St. Josephs was absolutely beautiful.  Or at least it was from what I could tell from hanging in the back with Cora.  She was off the walls.  When it came time for the veneration of the cross, Michael, John and Pops were asked to carry it to the altar. They were standing with it in the back of the church waiting to process in.  It is huge so they had it resting on its side and Cora decided that she thought it was a slide.  I had to pull her away kicking and screaming because all she wanted to do in the world was slide down the cross.  But it was so sweet when it came time for the actual veneration.  She walked away saying, "Mommy, I kissed the cross!"  She was super proud of herself and continued to talk about it all weekend.

We followed the service with the beautiful Snoga family tradition, praying the stations at the hill of the cross behind the church every Good Friday.  

these two.

After that we gathered for a celebration, complete with an Easter egg toss, hunt, and cascarones.

We spent Saturday relaxing around the Paweleks' house.  The whole weekend was very different than usual, since Michael's grandpa, PoPo was in the hospital in SA, we didn't go to Panna Maria and stayed in town the whole time so we could get as much time with him as possible.  

We attended the Easter Vigil that night and had the privilege of witnessing Brad and Ryane join the Church.  Molly also joined, but at Sts. Peter and Paul in New Braunfels.  What a glorious occasion!! The mass was incredible!! I hope that we get to go every year, but maybe one day our little ones will be able to stay awake.  But it did last until 1 in the morning so I can't really blame them. 

Our family with Fr. Jimmy. We are so blessed to have him and the many priests who sacrifice everything in His name.

Happy Easter Season to all!!